Terminal for electric wires.



G. L. HERZ.

\TERMINAL FOR ELECTRIC WIRES.

APPLICATION FILED 1 1113.10, 1910.

Patented July jm/mw:

Q g i unrrn sra'rgs PATNT orric.

GUSTAVE L. HERZ, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

TERMINAL FOR ELECTRIC WIRES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gus'ravs L. HnRz, asubject of the Emperor of i-kustrimHungary, and resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Terminals for Electric Wires, of which the following is' a specification.-

This inve-ntionrelates to terminals for electric wires and more particularly for terminals for connecting secondary cables to the spark'plug or other ignition device used in connection with an explosive hydrocarbon engine, with the ob e ct in View of providing a terminal having two members,- one of which is adapted for firm but rotatable engagement with the ignition device, and the other of which is adapted for firm but removable engagement with the cable while the two are arranged for snap engagement with each other, which snap engagement is also very firm but rotatable in a plane at right angles to the place of rotation of the first-mentioned member on the ignition device.

Another object is to provide certain improvements in the form, construction and arrangement of the various parts whereby the above-mentioned objects may he effectively carried out.

Practical embodiments of my invention are represcntedin the accompanying drawings. in which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the terminal illustrating its use in connecting a cable to a spark plug, the cable being shown in one position in'full lines and in other positions'in dotted lines, for illustrating the rotatable engagement between the two menihers of the terminal, Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of the same. the cable being shown in one position in full lines and in two other positions in dotted lines for lllllS. trating the rotatable-engagement between the terminal and the spark plug, Fig. 3 represents a section taken in the plane of the line AA of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, Fig.- 4 represents a section taken in the plane of the line B-B of Fig.

the terminal connecting a cable to a spark Specification of Letters Patent. V Patented July 4, 191 1. App1i'cation filed February 10, 1910. Serial No. 543,133.

plug, and Fig. 7 represents a section taken ed to be rotatably mounted on the conduct ing wire 3 of a spark plug 1 and heldin position against longitudinal movement thereon by the vasher 4 and split cotter pin 5; and a screw-eye member 6 which is adapted to be screwed into the end of thewire proper 7 of an electric cable 8.

The yoke 2, as its name implies, is provided with a pair of arms, which arms have adjacent convex circular faces 9, 10.- The yoke is composed of'spring metal and is substantially flat in cross section, as is indicated in Fig. 3, except for the convex faces 9, 10.-

The arms of the yoke 2 are shown as concavo-convex at their endsbut the concave outside faces of these arms are immaterial so far as this invention is concerned.

The head or eye of the screw-eye 6 is about the same diameter as the convex faces 9, 10, of the yoke 2 and is fitted to be insert ed between the arms of the yoke until its head or eye registers with the faces 9, 10, for forming asnap engagement between the screw eye member and the yoke member of the terminal. v

The eye or head ofthe screw-eye member is composed of sutliriently thick wire so that the convex faces 9, 10, of the yoke will not come in contact with each other when the two parts of the terminal are in the snap engagement with each other just described. The reason for this provision is to insure a firm engagement between the' yoke and screw-eye, which engagement might be very much weakened if the faces 9,

10, of the yoke abutted so as to exert upon each other their spring actuated tendency to come together.

The engagement between the head of thescrew-eye 6 and the faces 9, 10, of the yoke is one which permits the screw-cye to rotate upon the faces 9, 10, in a plane at right angles to the plane of rotation of the yoke 2 about the conducting wire 3 of the spark plug. Thus a universal joint is provided between the cable 8 and the spark plug 1.

A cap 11 may be provided for finishing ofi neatly the end of the cable 8, which cap is fo rm shown in Figs. 1 to inclusive. The yoke, denoted inthis form by ii is more nearly square in cross section and is provided'at the end of its arms with a pair of balls 13 which are shown as somewhat smaller in diameter than the convex faces 9, 10. These balls, as is lndicated by the r name, have a pair of adjacent convex faces which cooperate with the screw-eye member 14;, shown In this form as somewhat smaller than'kthe preferred form, in the same man nor as has been described in connection with the form shown in Figs. 1 to 5.

The manner of using this terminal is as follows: The split cotter pin 5 and the washer 4 are removed from the conducting wire 3 of the spark plug 1 and the yoke member 2 is slid longitudinally to its seat on the conducting wire 3, when the washer 4 and spllt cotter pin 5 are replaced. The yoke is now firmly held against longitudinal ,movement on the conducting wire 3 but is free to rotate thereon. The cap 11 is applied to the end of the cable 9, as clearly indicated in Figs. 3, 5 and 7, and the screweye. member 6'is passed through the central aperture in the cap 11 and is screwed home into the wire proper 7 Now, when it is desired' to'connectthe cable and the spark plug, it is only necessary to force the head or eye of the screw-eye'member 6 between the arms of the yoke 52 until the convex faces 9,-10, of the yoke register with the eye of the screw-eye, when the arms of the yokewill snap together as far as possible, thus producing rotatable engagement between the screw-eye? member 6 and the yoke member 2 ,--w.hich engagement may be broken at; any time by merely pulling the screw-eye out from be'tween the arms of the yoke.

The use and operation of the form shown in Figs. 6 and 7 are the same as of the form shown in Figs. 1 t0 5 inclusive. This device is extremely simple and easy to manufacture while, at the same time, it provides an arrangement between the electric cable and ignition device which is firm to a degree not heretofore attained by snap terminals and whichengagement is of an universal joint character, thus permitting the cable to be swung in any direction whatever about the ignition device without having the faint est tendency to weaken the electric contactbetween the cable and the ignition device.

While I have illustrated and described this device as used in connection with an electric ignition device, viz; a spark plug, I do not wish it to be understood that I intend to limit my invention to this particular use, as it is well adapted for use in connecting an electric cable to many articles which are not ignition devices, such, for instance, as magnetos, electrically operated horns, etc.

It is evident that slight changes might be resorted to in theform, construction and arrangement of thb, several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention; hence I do not wish to limit myself strictly to the structure herein setforth, but

\Vhat- I claim is 1. A terminal comprising a spring yoke fitted to be attached to an article and a screw-eye, the said yoke being provided with susravn I... HERZ.

WVitnesses F. GEORGE BARRY, Hnnnr C. Tniniun. I 

